Matthew 16
Matthew 16:6:
“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” |
A Clay Jar: Guard Against the Yeast of the Pharisees – Matthew 16:6
Yeast is a single-celled microorganism that feeds on carbohydrates and produces fermentation. It is used in baking to make bread rise and in brewing some types of alcohol. |
Matthew 16:24-26:
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? |
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Matthew 16:25:
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. |
I see the verse as two parts of an affirmation of reality: 1) Anyone who applies effort to save his life will, in the end, lose it. (religion?) 2) But he who exchanges his life for Jesus, will find it. These are both inevitable realities for all men. These were the words of Jesus to his disciples, just after reprimanding Peter who had just suffered a moment of religiousness. When Jesus told his disciples that he was to suffer and be killed, Peter rose up and said “this will not happen to you!” To which the Lord rebuked him “Get thee behind me Satan.” We have all met well intended religious folks who want to claim that Christianity involves no pain, but all know this is just not so. CS Lewis said “Die before you die. There is no chance after.”
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